The beautiful UK town full of 'charming pubs' and 'cosy shops' is the perfect getaway

Mermaid Street, Rye, Sussex, England. (Image: Getty Images)

A quaint medieval town, brimming with cosy pubs and charming shops, has been hailed as one of the UK's top holiday spots.

If you reside in or near the southeast coast of England, you're likely familiar with Camber Sands. This East Sussex beach is a stunning expanse of sand that stretches for miles.

When the sun peeks from behind the clouds, hordes of people flock to Camber to dip their toes in its waters, jump off its sand dunes, and savour an ice cream in one of the UK's warmest regions.

Just a stone's throw away lies a town less renowned than Camber Sands but equally enticing. Rye, described as a "stylish cobbled citadel", is a beautiful medieval English coastal town.

Today, it boasts several chic boutique hotels, inviting cosy pubs, and modern restaurants serving some of the finest cuisine East Sussex has to offer, reports the Mirror.

The east sussex town of Rye (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

"Once surrounded by sea, this fortified hilltop town played an important role in the defence of the south coast of England. These days, the river no longer harbours warships and is home to the local fishing fleet. Meandering for over one and a half miles from Rye to the coast, the river forms part of the picturesque scenery visible from several vantage points in and around the citadel of Rye," explains the town's website.

"St Mary's church tower (usually open to the public) offers the best viewpoint to show the terracotta roofs of the many timbered houses. These ancient buildings, cobbled streets and secret passages, once the haunt of smugglers and highwaymen, regularly attract film crews in search of historical settings for period productions."

Rye has a reputation as not just a charity shop hub, but a place where creative people have congregated, including Henry James and Spike Milligan.

The medieval town has also been periodically visited by royalty, with the title 'Rye Royale' bestowed upon it by Queen Elizabeth I after a three-day stay in the 16th century.

It is also home to many great pubs, including the Ship Inn, which dates back to 1592.

If you fancy heading down to Rye for the weekend and exploring the surrounding area, one of the best ways to do so is on a bike tour.

Go Outdoors, which ranked Rye as one of the best places for a holiday in the UK, recently wrote: "One route we'd recommend is the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, a popular trail for birding, hiking and mountain biking.

"This 14.6-km circular trail heads out to the 16th-century Camber Castle and Castle Water before continuing on a long coastal path with views out to sea."

The Romney Marsh, a captivating feature of the region, extends north of Rye and sprawls across the peninsula to the east coast. This vast landscape is teeming with diverse flora and fauna, and can be explored via the charming miniature Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway line.

Arguably, there's no better way to immerse oneself in the slightly melancholic, eerie atmosphere of the South Coast.